CAMPBELLVILLE, September 10 – Ken Weingartner of Harness Racing Communications recently caught up with Glenn Van Camp, a co-owner of Damfoolrmillionair, to discuss the Canadian Trotting Classic entrant and half-brother to the great San Pail. By Ken Weingartner Glenn Van Camp says there are similarities between 3-year-old gelding trotter Damfoolrmillionair and his award-winning half-brother San Pail. Whether the two will have similar careers still remains unknown, but Van Camp would be happy even if Damfoolrmillionair is only half as good. Damfoolrmillionair is among seven horses competing in Saturday’s C$682,000 Canadian Trotting Classic for 3-year-old trotters at Mohawk Racetrack. He will start from post seven with driver Randy Waples at the lines for trainer Brad Maxwell. The field also includes Hambletonian winner Trixton and newly crowned Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Father Patrick, both from the stable of trainer Jimmy Takter. Damfoolrmillionair enters the CTC off a second-place finish to Trixton in the Simcoe Stakes on Aug. 30 at Mohawk. For the year, he has won four of nine starts and earned $96,311 for owners Glenn and Paul Van Camp, as the P G Van Camp Stables. Of course, San Pail has won $3.01 million in his career, is a three-time winner of the Maple Leaf Trot, and was 2011 Horse of the Year in both the U.S. and Canada. Glenn Van Camp bred San Pail and co-owns the now 10-year-old gelding, slowed by injury the last several years, with Rod Hughes. “This fella has got four white feet and San Pail doesn’t, but he’s quite a bit like him,” Van Camp said about Damfoolrmillionair. “If you watch a video of him and San Pail, they’ve got about the same gait. Which isn’t a bad gait. I said if he ever were half as good, he’d be a heck of a horse. That would be awful nice. “All we can do is keep our fingers crossed. Randy says he’s got a lot of similarities, so that’s good. You can’t get much better than to be as good as that. We’re quite pleased with him so far, so that’s the main thing.” The Van Camps bought Damfoolrmillionair, then named Bosston Whitesocks, for $33,000 at the 2012 Standardbred Horse Sale. He is a son of stallion Muscles Yankee out of the mare Village Beauty. Van Camp owned Village Beauty until 2006, when she was purchased by current owner Alvin Beiler. “Brad was down at the sale and said he kind of liked the looks of the colt, so I said buy him,” said Van Camp, adding with a laugh. “We changed the name because my father-in-law, who also was in the horse business all his life, said there are only two people that can be in the horse business, either a damn fool or a millionaire.” Damfoolrmillionair won one of seven starts last year and finished second to Harper Blue Chip in a division of the Champlain Stakes. He also was third in his elimination for the William Wellwood Memorial, behind Harper Blue Chip and Il Sogno Dream, but finished eighth in the final after drawing post No. 9. He finished the season with a fifth-place finish in a division of the International Stallion Stakes, but was beaten only 1-1/4 lengths by Outburst despite starting from post eight in the eight-horse field. This year, Damfoolrmillionair competed in conditioned races until facing a stakes field in the Simcoe. He was eligible to the Hambletonian, but Van Camp said the horse “just wasn’t ready.” “He was coming along slowly, but that’s what we were planning on doing anyway, bringing him along slowly.” Damfoolrmillionair has finished no worse than third in any start this season, and held his own despite starting inside of post seven only twice in his last seven outings. “It’s a good thing there isn’t 10 horses in the (Canadian Trotting Classic), otherwise we’d have the 10 hole,” Van Camp joked. “It’s a smaller field, but we drew exactly the way we normally do. “He’s a pretty good little horse,” he added about Damfoolrmillionair. “He’s raced very well all year. He’s been in the money every time, but this is another step up for him. When you finish second to Trixton, you’re doing alright. That Trixton is a very good horse. We’ve got our fingers crossed for Saturday night.” Following is the Canadian Trotting Classic field in post order with listed drivers and trainers: 1. E L Titan, Chris Christoforou, Riina Rekila; 2. Harper Blue Chip, Sylvain Filion, Mark Steacy; 3. Muscle Matters, Mario Baillargeon, Benoit Baillargeon; 4. Il Sogno Dream, Aaron Merriman, Chris Beaver; 5. Trixton, Jimmy Takter, Jimmy Takter; 6. Father Patrick, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter; 7. Damfoolrmillionair, Randy Waples, Brad Maxwell. Share This:Share
